Ministry of Home Affairs lifts ban on comic written by former DAP member
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN) has revoked the Ban Order on the publication of the comic titled “Inisiatif Jalur dan Jalan Meraih Manfaat Bersama” written by former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau, which was previously gazetted in 2019.
According to Berita Harian, this matter is contained in the Federal Government Gazette dated August 12, 2024, signed by the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, on August 6.
Based on the gazette, the cancellation of the Ban Order involves the publication of the comic in three languages: Malay, English, titled “Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism,” and Chinese.
The Ban Order was previously imposed by KDN due to content that could threaten public order and safety and could disturb the public’s mindset.
This was because the content of the publication attempted to promote communist and socialist ideologies, spread false and misleading information about communism, and contained elements that incite support and sympathy for the communist struggle.
“Exercising the powers conferred under Subsection 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Act 301), the minister has revoked the Printing and Publications (Control of Undesirable Publications) Order (No. 3) 2019 (P.U. (A) 288/2019) which was published in the Gazette on October 23, 2019, prohibiting the printing, importation, production, reproduction, publication, sale, output, circulation, distribution, or possession of the specified publication as stated in the Schedule,” according to the Federal Government Gazette.
On December 8, 2022, the media reported that the Federal Government failed to obtain permission from the Federal Court to reinstate the ban on the publication of the comic “Inisiatif Jalur dan Jalan Meraih Manfaat Bersama” produced by former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau.
Lawyer Vince Tan Hoo Seh, representing Kuan Yau, stated that the judge found no new issues or questions raised by the government regarding public interest to justify the effort to reinstate the ban.
On October 23, 2019, KDN gazetted the Ban Order on the publication of “Inisiatif Jalur dan Jalan Meraih Manfaat Bersama” in three language versions through the Government Gazette P.U.(A) 288/2019.
The gazette of the Ban Order was made under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Act 301).
The order stipulated that the printing, importation, production, reproduction, publication, sale, output, circulation, distribution, or possession of this publication is absolutely prohibited in Malaysia.